U.S. hopes for peaceful outcome in Nepal

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WASHINGTON — The United States on Tuesday called for Nepal to resolve its political crisis peacefully after the major parties failed to agree on a new constitution, spelling crisis for the war-torn country.

“We continue to call for this process to be peaceful. It has been peaceful so far,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

“That’s what’s important as they continue to talk to each other about a foundational document that will meet the needs of all Nepalese,” she said.

The Himalayan nation has been struggling to come up with a constitution to bring unity following a 1996-2006 civil war that killed 16,000 people.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Monday disbanded the Constituent Assembly tasked with writing the constitution and called fresh elections for November 22. The leader of former Maoist rebels has called on rival parties to join a national unity government to avoid a six-month power vacuum.